Police 'run ragged' as pressures mount, says MacAskill
Last updated 11th Dec 2017
Police officers are `run ragged' as pressures on the force have mounted, the former justice secretary has claimed.
Expecting an officer to attend incidents such as minor'' vandalism can no longer be justified as they must prioritise serious crime, Kenny MacAskill said.
Writing in the i newspaper he said that `some things can no longer be provided' and suggested that private security firms could take over roles such as stewarding and cyber protection.
Mr MacAskill, who was justice secretary from 2007 to 2014, said politicians and the public have to change what they expect police to do.
He wrote: `Terrorism, cyber crime and historic sexual abuse now take up a large amount of police resources. No wonder response officers are run ragged and there are fewer community officers.'
He added: `These new pressures mean some things can no longer be provided.
`The priority has to be keeping people safe and investigating serious crime.
`Expecting an officer to attend incidents of minor vandalism where there are no witnesses can no longer be justified. An email acknowledgement for the insurance company will have to suffice.
`Private security has already taken over some aspects of policing and such services will also be needed in other areas, such as cyber protection or stewarding roles.'
He said that mental health was the biggest drain on police resources and suggested that the NHS should `step up to the mark' except when there was a threat to safety.
Mr MacAskill also said that Police Scotland, which was formally established on April 1, 2013, has been `blighted' by errors and suspensions almost from its inception.
The troubled police force is currently without some of its most senior staff, with the chief constable on 'special leave' while one of his assistants has been suspended.
Last week the auditor general criticised ''unacceptable'' examples of poor governance and use of public money at the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).
However Mr MacAskill said that a new chairman at the SPA, where Susan Deacon has just taken up the role, and a signs of stability'.
He also said the Scottish Government would not drop the commitment to maintaining officer numbers.